


I Believe the Children Are Our Future

by wayward_winter_soldier



Category: The Flash (TV 2014)
Genre: Abuse, Adorable Cisco Ramon, Autistic Cisco Ramon, Awesome Joe West, Child Abuse, Child Neglect, Cisco Ramon Needs A Hug, Cisco Ramon Whump, Gen, Good Parent Joe West, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Kid Fic, Missing Persons, Pre-Series, Racism, Shoddy Police Work, The Ramon's A+ Parenting
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-22
Updated: 2021-02-22
Packaged: 2021-03-19 10:07:05
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,899
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29624631
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/wayward_winter_soldier/pseuds/wayward_winter_soldier
Summary: Detective Joe West meets a peculiar child at work one day that changes his life
Relationships: Cisco Ramon & Joe West
Comments: 14
Kudos: 32





	I Believe the Children Are Our Future

> "No one can keep a secret better than a child."
> 
> _\- Victor Hugo_

* * *

When Detective Joe West walked into Central City Police Department that morning, coffee in one hand and a briefcase filled with reports he had completed the night before in the other, he had expected the day to be as normal as every other day he spent at the police station.

He was wrong, of course.

"West, we got a kid in here, no one can get him to speak."

Joe sighed as he walked to his desk, his partner Fred Chyre closely following him as he dodged his way around other officers and crowded desks.

"How long has he been here?" Joe asked, throwing his briefcase on his desk chair and setting his coffee down on the desk.

"No idea."

Fred motioned with his head towards the benches that sat outside the bullpen and Joe's eyes followed. He didn't know how he had missed the kid, though he supposed it was due to the fact he was so set in his routines and the fact that the kid was silent and still as he sat on the bench, his hands clasped together in his lap and his eyes staring down at his shoes.

"I'll talk to him," Joe said finally, making his way out towards the waiting area. He could get a better look at the kid now, Joe noted to himself as he stood before the child awkwardly for a moment, taking him in. He was a young Hispanic boy, probably around Barry and Iris's age, with shaggy black hair that fell in front of his brown eyes. His shoes were scuffed and old, Joe noted, his jeans torn in certain places, his red _Star Wars_ shirt slightly baggy on him, and his sweatshirt much too thin for how cold of a March it was in Central City.

"Hello. My name's Detective Joe West," Joe said, watching as the kid looked up slightly at the sound of his voice. "What's your name?"

What came next was what Joe could only describe as rapid Spanish, no breaks between any words as if he spoke in one long run-on sentence. Joe frowned, thinking of his next move. He didn't know Spanish besides a couple of common phrases and whatever the kid was saying was not in Joe's limited vocabulary.

"Just slow down, okay? Do you know English? If not, I'm sure I can find someone-"

"I know English," the kid responded softly, his eyes staring down at his shoes once more. He was taking deep breaths, obviously nervous to be in the police station.

"Okay, great. Can you tell me your name?"

"Francisco Ramon. But people call me Cisco."

"Okay, nice to meet you, Cisco. What brings you in today?"

Cisco took another deep breath before speaking. "My parents haven't been home in three days. They said they were only going to be gone for the night. It's been three nights. My big brother, he was watching me, he left to go out with his friends last night and he wasn't at home in the morning. Do you think they've been kidnapped!?"

Joe resisted the urge to chuckle at Cisco's hypothesis as he outstretched his hand, intending for Cisco to take it. "I'm not sure what might have happened to them. Would you like to join me in a room, somewhere more private?"

Cisco looked hesitant at first as if going with Joe would mean breaking a rule.

"It's okay, I won't hurt you, I'm a police officer."

"Dante says cops don't like us because they all think we're illegals. I'm not, I promise! I have a birth certificate and everything!"

Joe wasn't quite sure what to say to that. "Is Dante your older brother?"

Cisco nodded rapidly, so fast that Joe was afraid he'd give himself whiplash.

"Well, not all policemen are bad. I'm not a bad policeman."

Cisco seemed to consider Joe's words for a moment before accepting his hand and sliding off the bench, letting Joe lead him through the police station and into one of the interrogation rooms. For the first time ever Joe wished the interrogation rooms were a little more comfortable. Cisco accepted the seat Joe offered him at the table, his fingers beginning to drum nervously on the tabletop.

"Can I get you anything? Are you hungry?"

Cisco's stomach picked the perfect time to growl loudly, answering Joe's question.

"Yes, Sir. I didn't have breakfast this morning. Or dinner last night."

"Why didn't you eat dinner?" Joe questioned.

"Dante was supposed to make soup. The kind in the can, you know. But he was gone and I'm not allowed to use the stove. And Dante was supposed to pick up groceries for breakfast the day Mama and Papa left, but he didn't so the only thing in the house that I could make was hot sauce and ice cream and Mama says I'm not allowed to eat ice cream for breakfast."

Joe frowned deeply at the boy's explanation. Every new thing he learned about Cisco Ramon's family made him sadder and sadder.

"Okay, I can get you something. Any food allergies?"

Cisco shook his head and Joe gave him a small smile before leaving the room, making his way towards the breakroom where he hoped someone had left some doughnuts and milk.

Fred was in there drinking coffee and he nodded at Joe as he began to retrieve a paper plate and cup.

"How is he?"

Joe shrugged, opening up the pink doughnut box that laid on the counter. "He's okay, just shaken up. I guess his parents have been gone longer than they said they would and his big brother ditched him. Kid's only around twelve, Fred."

"Like Barry and Iris," Fred filled in the blanks, a sad smile on his face as he drank his coffee.

"Exactly."

"Hey, I'll get some lookout for the kid's family, what's his name?"

"Francisco Ramon. Has a brother named Dante," Joe said, his head in the fridge. There was no milk, so apple juice would have to do.

"Alright, I'll see what I can dig up."

"Thanks, Fred."

Fred nodded and left the breakroom, leaving Joe alone with his thoughts for a moment. He couldn't imagine leaving Barry and Iris alone unsupervised like Cisco's parents had. Didn't they care about their son's wellbeing? Didn't they love him?

Joe sighed deeply and picked up the plate of doughnuts and a cup of apple juice. He looked over towards the breakroom table and saw a pad of paper and pencil lying on top of it. He shrugged and grabbed that too. Maybe the kid liked to draw, he thought as he made his way back, Cisco still in the same spot he had left him.

Cisco looked up when Joe reentered. His eyes were glued to the food, a hungry look in his eyes that made Joe even sadder. No child should have that look in their eyes ever. They should all be well-fed and cared for, not forgotten and abandoned.

"These are for you," Joe said, placing the food and drink in front of Cisco. "And I brought you some paper and a pencil. I wasn't sure if you liked drawing or not."

"Thank you, Sir," Cisco said in a voice that made Joe's heart melt.

"You can just call me Joe if you'd like," Joe replied, sitting down next to Cisco who had already begun to dig into the doughnuts. He ate as if it were the first meal he'd had in a very long time which did nothing to soothe Joe's worried mind.

"Are you sure you only skipped breakfast and dinner?"

Cisco stopped eating, an ashamed look on his face. "No. I didn't have lunch yesterday either. I was supposed to get it at school, but there wasn't enough money in my account cause Paap hadn't paid the bill in a while, so I couldn't get anything. I'm sorry I lied."

Joe cursed internally. He always made sure Iris and Barry had money in their lunch accounts, afraid that this very thing would happen to them. And now this kid was apologizing for not having lunch. When Joe found his parents he would give them a piece of his mind for sure.

"Where do you go to school at?" Joe wondered out-loud.

"Central City Middle School," Cisco answered, taking a drink of his apple juice.

"My kids go there, maybe you know them," Joe said absentmindedly.

"Maybe. I don't really have any friends, though."

Every word that came out of Cisco's mouth made Joe feel terrible. Cisco seemed like such a nice young man. How could any parent or any peer not see what Joe saw?

"Well, if you're hungry or need anything, anything at all, just ask me, okay? I'll get it for you."

Cisco looked up from his breakfast, a large smile on his face that showed off his dimples. "Thank you, Joe."

Joe nodded, patting Cisco on the back. "Of course."

* * *

Fred hadn't found anything on Cisco Ramon's parents, only his brother, who had a record despite being only sixteen years old. Shoplifting, fistfights, the usual things teenage delinquents had, Joe noted. There was a home address and Joe wrote it down, storing the paper in his pocket as he made his way back to the room Cisco was in. A few hours had already passed since Joe had come in to see the kid waiting in the lobby. It was almost lunchtime and Joe reminded himself to ask Cisco what he wanted from Big Belly Burger.

Cisco, for his part, was still sitting at the table, drawing in the notebook Joe had left him with. When Joe took a peek to see what it was, he was met with a very detailed drawing of what he recognized at the Enterprise from _Star Trek._ Barry's odd science fiction shows were finally paying off, he thought as he took his seat once more.

"My son likes _Star Trek_ too," Joe said, trying his best to get Cisco to become comfortable with him. So far it was working.

" _Star Trek's_ my favorite show," Cisco informed the detective as he drew on another tiny window. "I like the original series, but this is USS Enterprise NCC-1701-D. I like drawing it cause it's more detailed than the 60s one."

Joe didn't know what the difference between the Enterprises was, but he nodded anyway. 

"It's a very good drawing."

"Thank you. I like drawing spaceships and robots and stuff. I'm no good at people. I'm getting a little better, though. My Spock isn't half bad."

"Do you want to be an artist when you grow up?"

Cisco seemed to think about Joe's question for a minute before answering. "No, I don't think so. I want to be an engineer, like Geordi and Scotty!"

Joe recognized the names vaguely and went with the assumption that they were _Star Trek_ characters. "That sounds great."

"Yeah. Mama and Papa don't want me to be a scientist. They want me to do music like Dante. I'm not very good at music, though. I like the guitar but they want me to play the piano like Dante. I don't like the piano, too many keys."

This had to be the first time Joe heard of parents encouraging the arts over STEM, Joe thought bitterly. Iris wanted to be a writer and Barry wanted to be a chemist and he supported both of them. Hell, if they had told him they wanted to start a circus act together he would still support them. 

"Well, follow your heart," Joe informed the boy.

Cisco gave Joe another one of his heart-melting smiles before returning to his work.

* * *

It was almost five in the afternoon and they had yet to find Cisco's parents or brother.

"We can start again tomorrow," Fred informed his partner, trying his best to hold back a yawn.

"Yeah, you're right. Where's Cisco going to go for the night?"

"I'll have Ramerez find a place, don't worry."

Joe couldn't seem to do anything but worry, but he nodded anyways. He made his way back down the hall, intending to say goodbye to Cisco.

The boy had fallen asleep at the table, his head resting in his crossed arms. Joe smiled and quietly closed the door as to not disturb him.

"He's sleeping," Joe told Ramerez before he left. "But you can still move him where you're intending on taking him for the night."

The cop in response nodded, obviously not listening very closely to what Joe was saying. With a sigh, Joe pinched the bridge of his nose and made his way to the elevator, Cisco still on his mind even after he had arrived home for the night.

Barry and Iris were in the living room watching TV when he arrived. He smiled at the sight of them watching what Joe knew was _Star Trek._ It was Barry's night to pick what was on the TV after all.

"Homework done?" Joe asked the pair, who turned at the sound of his voice.

A chorus of yes rang out and Joe smiled, kissing each kid on top of their heads. "Good. I'll get dinner ready."

Joe took off his coat and left his briefcase by the door before making his way to the kitchen, not knowing the Iris was following him.

"How was your day, Dad?" she asked, leaning against the kitchen island.

"It was good. How about yours?"

"I got an A on my math test and they had pudding at lunch, so it was pretty good."

"That's great baby," Joe said as he rummaged in the cupboard for the pasta sauce.

"Did you get all the bad guys, Dad?"

Joe thought about the question for a moment. Had he? Not really. The Ramons were still out there somewhere, though he wasn't so sure that he should go so far as to consider them "bad guys."

"Well, today was a bit slow. I had a kid come in around your age. His family hadn't come home in a few days and he was worried."

"Is he okay?" Iris questioned, suddenly very concerned.

"He'll be okay. He goes to your school, you might know him. Cisco Ramon?"

Iris thought about it. "I dunno, Dad, it's a pretty big school. Are you sure he's in our grade?"

"Maybe a year or two below, I'm not sure," Joe replied, finding the box of noodles and pulling them out.

"Hey, if you can't find his parents he could come live with us like Barry did!"

Joe chuckled lightly. "I don't think it'll come to that, but thank you for the offer, baby girl."

"You're welcome. I'm gonna go watch _Star Wars_ with Barry."

There was a muffled shout of "it's Star _Trek!"_ from the living room and Joe smiled, watching as Iris shrugged and made her way out of the kitchen to join her brother. This was the life Cisco deserved, Joe thought as he poured water in the pot. He deserved a nice home with nice parents and nice siblings. 

Maybe he would really have to take Iris up on her offer after all.

* * *

When Joe came into work the next day he was furious to find Cisco still in the interrogation room, obviously not having been moved the night before since he was still sleeping. Not even a blanket around his shoulders or anything.

"Fred, what the hell, I thought you said Ramerez was gonna get him a place to sleep."

"I'm sorry, Joe, he must have forgotten."

Joe shook his head, annoyed. "If we don't find his parents today he's coming home with me for the night. No way he's sleeping sitting up again."

"Are you gonna make it a habit to adopt every wayward kid that ends up here?"

"Yeah, maybe I am," Joe replied, walking briskly past his partner and into the interrogation room, breakfast in hand.

The door shutting behind Joe was enough to wake Cisco up as he wearily blinked his eyes open and yawned, stretching his arms above his head as he did.

"Good morning, Cisco. I'm sorry about last night. A coworker of mine was supposed to get you somewhere comfortable to sleep. I brought you breakfast, though."

Joe slid the bag across the table towards Cisco, who grinned. "Thank you."

The kid opened the bag and pulled out the breakfast sandwich and hashbrown, the smile still on his face. He took a sip from the orange juice Joe had brought him, eating slightly slower than he had the day before.

"We still haven't found your parents," Joe said, taking a seat. "If we don't by tonight, would you like to spend the night at my house? It'll be a lot more comfortable than this room."

Cisco put his sandwich down, taking a drink of the juice. "Yeah, that sounds okay. Thank you."

Joe smiled, opening up his own breakfast sandwich. "Any special request for dinner? We could do pizza. I know my kids won't complain."

"I like pizza," Cisco admitted as if it were his deepest secret.

"Great, pizza it is."

Cisco continued eating his breakfast, his feet swing back and forth under the table as he did. Joe couldn't help but think of what his life was like when his family wasn't missing. His parents probably never paid any attention to him, never hung his report cards or drawings on the fridge. It sounded like they favored their oldest over Cisco, though Joe couldn't see why. Dante was out causing trouble and committing crimes while Cisco drew pictures and watched _Star Trek._ Maybe it was because Joe didn't understand the concept of favorite children. Though Barry wasn't his biological son, he loved him as much as he loved Iris.

Joe was drawn out of his thoughts by a commotion happening in the bullpen. He gave Cisco a look that told the boy to stay where he was and he stood, exiting the room and making his way out to the main area.

"My brother's here, isn't he? He ran off again, didn't he?" demanded a skinny teenage boy who was currently trying to get past two officers. "Just let me take him home, okay?"

"Are you Dante Ramon?" Joe questioned, his eyes on the teen. The boy stopped struggling and nodded.

"Yeah. Is my brother here?"

Joe nodded at the two officers trying to keep Dante back and they parted. Jow made his way over to the eldest Ramon brother and beckoned him to follow him to his desk where he sat down, watching as Dante took the seat meant for guests.

"He is. He showed up yesterday saying your parents hadn't returned and that you were nowhere to be found. Care to tell me where you were, Mr. Ramon?"

Dante looked down at his feet sheepishly. "I had some business to attend to. Can I just get my brother and leave?"

"Where are your parents? Do you know?"

Dante sighed and rolled his eyes. "They went to a wedding. It was supposed to be a night but they must have decided to stay longer."

"Did your parents call and tell you that they would be staying longer?"

Dante shook his head. "No, I just assumed. They do it all the time."

"And this business? It was more important than watching your little brother?"

"Cisco's twelve, he can handle himself. I could at that age."

"According to Cisco you left before dinner and he wasn't allowed to use the stove so he couldn't make any dinner. And there was no food in the morning for him to eat for breakfast."

Dante rubbed the back of his neck. "Yeah, okay, I may have forgotten to go shopping, I have a lot on my plate. The kid's resourceful, I dunno why he even came here in the first place."

"He thought you and your parents had been kidnapped."

Dante laughed loudly at that. "Hermano and his wild imagination. Gonna get him in trouble one day."

Joe frowned at the teenager. "Your little brother is a great kid and he deserves much more than what you and your parents have to offer."

"Hey, what the hell is that supposed to mean, huh? He's got a roof over his head and shoes on his feet. So we forget some things, big deal. He could have it worse, you know."

Joe sighed, leaning back in his chair. He wasn't sure how to proceed. Was it worth it to try and get CPS involved? Even if they found the Ramon household to be unsafe for Cisco there was no guarantee Joe could get custody of the kid. He could just be thrown into the system, which would be much worse.

"Okay. I'll get your brother for you. Just wait here, okay?"

Dante nodded as Joe stood up and slowly made his way to the interrogation room, wishing he would never arrive. It looked like Cisco wasn't getting pizza tonight, he thought bitterly as he turned the doorknob in his hand.

"Hey, kid," Joe started, giving Cisco a reassuring smile. He looked up from his drawing of the Enterprise that he was putting the finishing touches on. "Your brother's here for you."

"Dante? He's okay?"

"Yeah, he's fine. Says your parents will be home soon."

Cisco nodded, standing from his chair. "I'm sorry I won't be there for pizza tonight."

Joe laughed sadly, commanding himself not to cry. "That's okay. Raincheck?"

"Okay," Cisco confirmed, tearing the drawing out of the notebook. "You can have this. If you want."

Joe smiled, taking the picture from Cisco. "Thank you very much. I love it."

Cisco beamed, his hand shoved in the pockets of his sweatshirt.

"I'm gonna give you my card with my number. If anything like this ever happens again, call me. Okay?"

"Okay," Cisco responded, taking the business card from Joe and tucking it into his jeans pocket. "Thank you for everything."

"You're very welcome. Take care of yourself, okay?"

"I will."

Joe watched as Cisco left the room. He followed slightly behind him, watching as he met up with his brother, who took his hand and all but dragged him out of the police station.

When Joe got home that night with take-out pizza for dinner, he hung Cisco's drawing on the fridge because Heaven knows no other fridge would hold his masterpieces.

* * *

Twelve years later Joe found himself in Barry's lab, listening to him discuss the S.T.A.R. Labs personnel who had been there when he woke up from his coma.

"And then there was this engineer. Cisco Ramon. Really funny and nice. We talked about _Star Trek_ for a bit."

Joe looked up at the sound of the name. "Cisco Ramon?"

"Yeah. You know him?"

Joe thought back to the small boy that entered the police station all those years ago. "Yeah, I've met him before. Long time ago."

When Barry invited Joe to the lab to formally meet everyone, Joe smiled as he took Cisco's hand in his own.

"Long time no see, kid," he said, studying the young man as he shook.

Cisco's eyes lit up in remembrance and he smiled widely, his dimples on display. "Detective Joe West. Yeah, it's been a hot sec, hasn't it?"

"Indeed it has. Good to see you."

"Yeah, right back at you, Joe."


End file.
